


Love At First Bite

by doubtfulbones



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lovebug, Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Clingy Keith (Voltron), Clingy Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Forbidden Love, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pet Names, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-08 04:46:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12857043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doubtfulbones/pseuds/doubtfulbones
Summary: For Lance and Keith, being bitten by a bug nicknamed ‘Cupid’ by Pidge was probably the best thing to ever happen to them.However, to the rest of the team, keeping them apart was more difficult than they thought.





	1. Bitten

**Author's Note:**

> a short (10-15 chapter) fic based on the lovebug scenario where lance and keith are bitten at the same time!

Trudging through a dense jungle wearing skin-tight suits beneath his armour was definitely not on Keith's agenda. The rest of the team complained as they journeyed through thick trees, swiping down vines and cobwebs as they went, with the occasional shriek of surprise at being so unfamiliar with jungle surroundings. For Shiro, this was probably the least of his worries. The jungle wasn't his problem, he was focusing on keeping his team's temperature at bay, reminding them to stay wary. After being oblivious of their surroundings it had cost them a lot more than it should, including supplies, ammunition, and almost their own lives.

Upon this particular planet, its sun was setting, although the Paladins couldn't quite feel the temperature drop just yet. Lance tiredly wiped a sheen of sweat beading upon his forehead, removing his helmet in the process, tucking it underneath his arm. His brown locks had curled in the midst of such intense humidity, further humiliating him in front of his peers. It wasn't as humiliating as Keith's attempt at a ponytail—the Blue Paladin grinned at it to lighten his mood. Despite this, and his constant hints at Keith's tousled ponytail, it was only hiding his obvious fondness for the Red Paladin, which he was sure would never see the light of day.

"Are you sure they're still here?" Hunk asked. "We've been walking for a while and it's getting dark."

"We saw most of them escape." Pidge replied. "It's very likely. We can't just abandon this place because it's dark."

"Pidge is right," Shiro spoke up. "We're going to need some light. When this jungle gets dark, not enough light will reach the floor through the canopy, so we'll be hidden."

Lance craned his neck upwards as he walked, his gaze trailing over the delicate light shafts basking on the jungle floor. The sun set quickly and he removed his glove to wipe his forehead again. Soon enough, he was walking with his eyes on the stars, observing constellations he'd never seen before. His bliss ended once he stepped on the back of Keith's foot, causing a slight quarrel.

"Ow, hey, Lance!" Keith muttered, tucking his hair behind his ear. "Watch it."

"It was an accident!" Lance huffed. "You can't see anyway, it's dark."

Convinced that they were walking in circles, the Red Paladin kept his eyes trained on the Paladin in front of him. Shiro was right, it did get dark, and the temperature dropped excruciatingly slowly. Of course, he did have extra bottles of water to keep him hydrated, but Keith wasn't in the mood for using the jungle as a bathroom.

"I have an idea," Pidge halted, summoning a holographic map upon her wrist. "How about we all split up?"

"In the dark?" Hunk scoffed. "Yeah, okay, try again Pidge."

"I think that's a decent idea," Shiro nodded. "We'll be found quicker if we all travel in one big group. Remember, we're looking for spies, and they tend to blend into their surroundings, so stay wary at all times.

"Lance, Hunk, you're with Pidge," Shiro continued. "I'll stay with Keith."

"Shouldn't we switch around since you two are probably the strongest?" Lance tapped his bottom lip. "I mean, even with the three of us, we can't match your strength."

"Okay." Shiro huffed. "Lance, Keith, take a right. I'll take Hunk and Pidge to the left."

"I didn't mean—!" Lance groaned. "No, I meant— ow, ow, Keith! That's my ear!"

The Red Paladin didn't even hesitate. He yanked Lance along by his ear, enjoying the exaggerated whines coming from him as they trudged through the deep jungle. This wasn't really on Keith's agenda either, but if this was an opportunity to mess with the Blue Paladin, he wasn't going to miss it. Besides, this was probably the most entertaining task he'd done all day.

"Stay safe!" Shiro called. "Be aware of your surroundings!"

"Can you let go of me now?!" Lance muttered. "I'm not six years old."

"You are mentally," Keith teased, letting go of his ear. Their walking pace had quickened now that they were alone. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Beats me." Lance yawned.

The pair kept walking, despite having no result. It was dreary and slightly cold as the night went on, the contact of cold air against the sweat upon his head sent horrible chills down his spine. Keith pulled out his ponytail, yawning as he did so. The Paladins had been walking for the most of the day, but this by far was the worst. Their legs ached. Their arms hurt from carrying weapons and hoisting their helmets beneath their arms so they didn't suffocate in the stifling heat.

Lance, however, was enjoying his time alone. He walked quicker. He didn't have to keep quiet all the time; he and Keith could talk each other tired and still have enough energy to begin a debate. The Red Paladin walked ahead after a while in an attempt to find a path of some sort. Lance felt as if he'd stepped out of place, however, he saw something that changed his mood for the better.

"Uh," he began, "Keith, you have a spider on your back—"

"Fuck! Where!?" Keith twisted sharply and swatted over his shoulder. "You're shitting me!"

"No, no," Lance chuckled behind a gloved hand. "Keith, hold still—"

"Lance, if you don't—!"

It was the size of a tarantula and speckled with red, able to be swatted away with a bat of Lance's hand. Keith shuddered soon after, cringing and wincing at the thought of something so hideous and disgusting crawling over him. After calming him down, Lance rolled his eyes and laughed to himself. Killing spiders was his job back at home, and a tarantula upon his fellow Paladin's shoulder was no different.

"Thanks," Keith murmured. "Don't tell anyone I shrieked."

"I won't, buddy."

There was something intimate about their trust and Keith couldn't quite put his finger on it. Either it was his ever-growing fondness or a feeling he couldn't shake, but he'd looked at Lance in a different light after opening up to him about everything, from his anxieties to his slight fear of rejection. Well, he hadn't uncovered everything just yet. He was still susceptible to Lance backstabbing him; though, Keith knew, deep in his heart, the Blue Paladin wasn't one to share personal secrets. He had a lot of respect for his friends and family and Keith was no different.

As they passed brightly-coloured flowers and insects that either had large wings or too many eyes, the Paladins ventured into a clearing, strewn with low-hanging vines and broken cobwebs. A moss-coated cave beckoned them from the centre, a sweet, syrupy scent threading through their nostrils, enticing them inside. The pair stood, bayards in hand, poised and ready for any potential threat.

"How far do you think the other guys are?" Lance asked, edging closer to the mouth of the cave. "Do you think we should go in?"

"It looks like a hideout," Keith replied. "So if we go in and check, we might save the others some time."

Lance peered into the cave with one hand flat against the wall. It smelled glorious, wafting into his nostrils, inducing something sugary-sweet inside of him. It was tempting, even if Lance knew there was an ulterior motive behind such a rich scent. He beckoned Keith closer and the pair ventured further into the cave.

Despite the interior being so dark, a light source wasn't difficult to find. The deeper they travelled, the lighter the darkness became, until the Paladins spotted a fuchsia glow, oblivious to its cause. It could be anything from a flare to a natural event. Thankfully, Keith trusted his gut instinct and kept going, just to make sure. If it wasn't a threat, they'd saved each other, however, it was a waste of time.

"Whoa," Lance whispered. "What is that?"

Soon, they were stood in front of a spherical object hanging securely from the cave's ceiling. It shone brightly, emitting a bright, rose-coloured light, almost blinding the Paladins as they drew near. It wasn't a person, nor was it a flare. Upon further inspection, Keith started to grimace at the crawling surface and the delicate fluttering of thousands of small bugs, perhaps fireflies, humming in unison.

"What are they?" he asked, raising a hand. "They seem calm."

"Don't touch them!" Lance hissed. "They're swarming."

"But can't you touch bees while they swarm?"

Keith stared at the glowing pink orb in front of them, disgusted and in complete awe at the same time. He wasn't sure whether to tell the others or leave it where it should be, just to allow nature to take its course. Lance lifted his head to check how the nest was attached, but was greeted with a sight less appealing.

A thick, viscous substance, pink in colour, coated the rocky ceiling. The scent had smothered them, enticing the Paladins like a moth to a light. The Blue Paladin smeared his index digit along the roof, collecting the fluid.

"It's like honey," Lance muttered. "Do you think these guys are just weird bees?"

"They don't look like bees," Keith replied. "Anyway, don't you think we should destroy it? Just in case it's dangerous?"

"No!" Lance stressed. "It's pretty!"

"It could kill us," Keith huffed, drawing out his knife. "It's not that hard—"

"Keith! You can't just—!"

The Paladins quarrelled their way through the rest of their discussion, ignoring the increasing volume of them hum beside them. It was loud and threatening, warning them to leave the cave imminently, but as soon as Keith's arm accidentally struck the swarm, they were chased out of the cave within seconds, followed by a swarm of angry, pink insects. Neither of them knew what they were being threatened with, but it didn't stop them from exiting the cave at breakneck speed as fast as their legs could carry them.

"I can't believe you hit it!" Lance yelled, swatting vines out of the way. "Didn't you hear them buzz? They clearly didn't want us there!"

"You decided to argue with me!" Keith replied. The pair kept running, despite the swarm engulfing them. "You just had to make it—!"

Lance cried out in agony at a sharp sting puncturing the thin skin of his neck. He cupped his hand over it, losing his footing as he did so, tumbling into Keith and grunting as they crashed to the floor.

"Ow! Fuck!" Keith hissed. "Lance McClain, you're such a fucking...!"

The swarm had left, leaving the Paladins alone. They tried to catch their breaths as the Blue Paladin regained his posture, propping himself up onto his hands and knees as he laid between Keith's legs, gazing down at him. Suddenly, his heart raced, hammering against his chest in pure delight, watching Keith's frown turn into a suggestive smile. His amethyst eyes glowed a dim, happy pink. His hand slowly removed itself from his neck, uncovering the small, pinhead sting underneath, delicately cupping Lance’s blushing cheek.

The Blue Paladin was awestruck. He’d never felt something quite so warm and merciful in his life. Everything about Keith was charming, from his sweat-sodden, tousled raven hair, to the mud smeared upon his pale skin.

“Go on,” Lance whispered, caressing his thumb against the Red Paladin’s cheek, who held his wrist in reply, squeezing it softly. “What am I?”

“You’re...” Keith breathed, gazing into Lance’s loving, pink-speckled blue eyes. “God, you’re gorgeous.”

“Not as gorgeous as you,” Lance swept Keith’s hair out of his eyes. “Has anyone ever told you that your eyes shine brighter than a billion stars?”

Keith chuckled playfully, pushing his fingers through Lance’s hair. “I can’t compare to you, my star.”

In the midst of their sudden romantic exchange, the speakers within their stranded helmets began barking orders. Lance looked over at his helmet and pulled it over, never daring to leave Keith’s side.

“Are you guys okay?” Pidge asked. “We’re done on our side, it’s time to head back.”

“I’m more than okay,” Lance grinned, flitting his eyes back to Keith, who winked in reply. The Red Paladin didn’t seem bothered about being pressed against the damp jungle floor.

“Okay?” Pidge murmured. “Uh, okay. We’re currently walking back to our lions so, we’ll see you there.”

“Okay.” Lance tucked his helmet underneath his arm before he scooped up Keith, cradling him in a bridal carry, letting him swing his legs freely.

Not a single contrary thought crossed their minds. Lance was on cloud nine, smothered in ardour and love and lust, walking in a state of bliss. He was completely infatuated in Keith, his senses definitely had heightened, but it didn’t bother him. It allowed him to take in the Red Paladin’s hot, musky scent. He even appreciated the sweat and hints of mud and unclean hair.

Keith looped his arms around Lance’s neck, beaming as they ventured back to their lions. He lovingly gazed at the Blue Paladin all the way, wondering if their relationship had grown further.

“You’re really pretty,” Keith cooed, watching Lance turn his head. “Your eyes are like sapphires.”

Lance smiled, lifting his head to catch a glimpse of his towering Blue Lion, its muzzle poking through the thick canopy. “Not as pretty as you are, sweetheart.”

Keith hummed in delight. He felt slightly drunk, and he considered the nausea stirring his stomach as part of it. But he knew he wasn’t drunk—he was gazing at what he considered to be his one and only, the one he’d been searching for his whole life. He was infatuated.


	2. Limits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance realises it's more than just love he feels.

The three Paladins were set to go, wiping dried mud from their cold cheeks as they waited for Keith and Lance to arrive. The spies had successfully been discovered and destroyed, leaving Shiro, Hunk and Pidge slightly elated, ready to leave with endorphins powering through their system. It wasn't particularly great to kill on sight, but the trio had grown so used to it, it was barely questionable. Two moons hung overhead, ominous and pale, basking the Paladins in a ghostly fog. It took a while, but soon enough, a rustle behind a bush had them alerted. Pidge lifted her head with a smile, expecting the Red and Blue Paladin to come rushing back, but instead, giggles poured out behind the thick foliage.

Lance emerged cradling Keith, murmuring pick-up lines into his ear while he covered his mouth to conceal the giggles escaping it. The trio, on the other hand, stared at the pair, their eyes trained on the Red and Blue Paladin. None of this was normal, in fact, Lance would never have gotten that close to Keith, even in an ideal world. Pidge stared, chewing on the inside of her cheek in pure annoyance, glaring at the small bite wound on both of their necks. The passionate, fuchsia glow in their eyes wasn't natural, either.

"Are you guys okay?" Hunk asked. "You didn't get hurt or anything?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Keith hopped out of Lance's grasp and leaned into his lean shoulder instead. "Lance has been taking good care of me."

Pidge's jaw dropped as she watched Keith lovingly gaze into the Blue Paladin's eyes once more. Disgusting.

"What have you been doing?" Shiro asked, his grimace as equally as confused as Hunk's. "Keith? Lance?"

Pidge stepped over and picked up a small insect nesting in the collar of Lance's suit. She removed it, ignoring its flicker of protest, before she procured a specimen jar from her Lion and delicately dropped it inside. It didn't seem angry; 'angry'  _definitely_  wasn't the right word—it was passionate, desperate, its need to escape was greater than anything at that point, and although Pidge felt sympathy for the insect she'd captured, it was probably a large clue as to why Keith was lifting one leg, caressing Lance's chest, beaming at the Blue Paladin like he was the luckiest guy in the galaxy.

"Planning," Lance grinned, his eyes never leaving Keith's. "Keith and I want to settle."

"Settle?!" Pidge choked. "Shiro, look at this."

The leader took the jar from Pidge's grasp and peered at the insect inside. "It's  _pink_ ," he muttered. "Is that natural?"

"I don't think so," Pidge replied. "Not to us, anyway. This planet could be swarming with them and they could get us too."

"So, if we got stung, or bitten, by that thing," Hunk pointed at the jar. "We could end up like Lance and Keith?"

"That's my theory." Pidge huffed. "But I don't have a lot of experience in researching insects, so I wouldn't know."

Keith let out a happy, shrill squeal as Lance scooped him up by the waist and spun him around, laughing and kicking his legs, begging for the Blue Paladin to put him down.

"Sickening," Pidge groaned. "Come on, we have to make it back to the Castle, we were supposed to be there some time ago."

The trio turned and walked towards their Lions, expecting the other Paladins to join them, but they were too busy picking up small flowers and threading them into each other's hair. Some glowed, some didn't. Some had thorns, while some weren't flowers at all, and Pidge had to brush away slivers of leaf from Keith's hair. She then grabbed his hand and yanked him away. There was no way she was going to put up with it, especially when Shiro and Hunk had already taken off.

"Hey, wait!" Keith twisted his body to look back at Lance, his hand outstretched. "I'm not leaving without Lance."

"You won't be," Lance cooed, clasping Keith's hand. "I'm right here, sweet cheeks."

"Oh my God," Pidge groaned. "Shut up."

She then ascended to her pilot's chair and grasped her flight sticks, huffing and yawning. It'd been a long day and she didn't expect to deal with such a peculiar situation; both Paladins were now their complete opposites, fawning over one another, and Pidge was hoping the venom would wear off as soon as possible. If she could put the blame on the insect humming at her. Pidge glared at it, curling her lip in disgust at the sickening pink glow. Her Lion purred with life, ceasing her frustration for a second, before she noticed that the duo still hadn't boarded their Lions.

"Will you guys hurry up!" she yelled, squeezing her fingers tight around her flight sticks. "We need to get back!"

"Fine," Keith whined. "I'm flying with Lance and you can't stop me!"

Pidge sighed as she watched them walk, hand-in-hand, to Lance's Lion. She didn't think the Red Lion would follow, but it did, and that's when she rocketed through the atmosphere because  _shit_ , this was  _not_  her job, she  _wasn't_  a relationship counsellor, even if they were going to be like this for the next week. Hell, she hoped not.

Meanwhile, Keith assumed a position on Lance's lap as they soared through the fabrics of space, winding through asteroid belts, passing nearby planets, pointing at distant nebulae. The Red Paladin had been completely engulfed by love, being loved, and how Lance was holding him so securely, he felt like the most protected person in the galaxy; Lance was his knight in shining armour and he didn't  _care_  what anybody else said. Despite this, there was a minor voice in the back of his mind. He chose to ignore it. Probably for the better, he thought.

"Have I ever told you, you're such a great pilot?" Keith hummed, removing Lance's helmet to push his gloved fingers through his brown locks. "I love how determined you look."

Lance grinned, arriving at the Lion hangar. "Not as much as I love  _your_  determined look."

"You don't even have to look determined for me to love you," Keith sighed, his legs kicking the air. "I think you're perfect."

"Me? Perfect?" Lance scoffed. "Not as perfect as you."

Allura took one look at the Paladins and sighed heavily, before taking the jar from Pidge. She didn't seem too happy about her new, cosy Paladins, who left the Castle with completely different personalities.

"So," the Princess glared at the Red and Blue Paladin. "I assume you were affected by this bug."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lance sighed happily, averting his gaze to Keith. "The only bug I see is this snuggle-bug right here."

Pidge rolled her eyes and nodded slowly. "Their eyes are glowing too."

"I see." Allura passed the jar to Coran. "Are there any bad symptoms apart from their..."

"Affection?" Hunk scoffed. "Nah, but like Pidge said, their eyes glow, they're kinda soft, and they're going to be useless in battle."

Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. Having two Paladins out of action wasn't going to be easy, especially if they were obsessing over each other. It was going to be hard to pull them apart, which was completely contrary to the day before, when they were discussing their favourite foods and suddenly got into a disagreement over something ridiculous.

"Right," Shiro sighed. "Can we figure out why they're like this before we're destroyed? Can we put them in the healing pods or something?"

"No, it's not that easy," Coran explained. "We can certainly do some research on this insect, but we have to wait until the venom is out of their system. They probably won't require supervision at all times, but they might not be able to fight if they fear separation."

"Okay." Shiro huffed. "Alright, nice work everyone, sleep well."

That night, Keith laid awake, his eyes trained on the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. He could barely contain this sudden rush of excitement flooding his veins. The one he fell for slept in the room opposite, and although it was tempting, he knew he had to stay put. The mature side of him took over eventually, probably because he was so exhausted, and attempted to lull the passionate side to sleep. Easy enough, he thought. He had plenty of time to sleep. He'd never slept quite so early before.

The attempt was futile.

Soon, Keith swept his bare legs over the edge of the bed and snatched his jacket from the floor. His need to be beside the Blue Paladin was so raw and wild he couldn't contain it. With light feet, he slowly allowed his door to slide open, before he tip-toed along the cold floor, his eyes glowing dimly, yet with ardour, in the dark. He tugged his jacket around his cold, bare body, save for some underwear, and approached the Blue Paladin's bedroom door. It slid open with ease.

After entering his room, Keith skittered across the floor and crawled underneath Lance's covers. His scent was so recognisable it triggered something desperate in Keith's mind, causing him to bury his nose in the nape of his neck as he scooted closer, craving to close the invisible gap between them. Soon, Lance began to stir, and turned to wrap his arms around the Red Paladin.

"I knew you'd come here," he whispered. "Did you miss me?"

"Mhm," Keith nodded. "I realised it was better if I slept with someone."

"And that someone is me," Lance chuckled quietly. "Now be quiet, baby, someone could hear us."

"But we're quiet," Keith giggled. "What are we doing that's loud?"

Lance tapped his bottom lip, deep in thought. He didn't want to risk separation, especially if he was alone with Keith, and this was the only time they had to spend together. He idly traced his index digit over Keith's chest, watching him writhe, before he reached his sensitive stomach and attacked it with quick fingers. Keith shrieked and pawed at Lance's hand, laughter bubbling out of his mouth as his legs kicked the sheets around, begging the Blue Paladin to stop.

"Hey!" Keith chortled, attempting to fight back. "Lance, that's— oh my God,  _stop!_ Hahaha!"

"Your laughter is adorable," Lance cooed, ceasing his fingers to press a kiss to Keith's forehead. "Give me your lips and I'll show you what else is adorable."

"Give you them?" Keith snorted, laying upon his side to lazily cup Lance's cheek. "And  _this_ is more adorable."

His free hand ghosted across Lance's bare chest until his fingers reached the fuzzy trail of hair peeking out from the waistband of his briefs. The Blue Paladin cocked a brow and pulled Keith on top of him, ruffling his fluffy raven hair.

"That's  _naughty_ ," Lance stuck his tongue out. "Testing your limits huh, hotshot?"

"Maybe I wanna test my limits," Keith grinned and placed a couple of kisses upon Lance's forehead.

The two of them were running on pure unexplainable passion. Lance found their privacy intimate, and since it was so late, they weren't likely to get caught. However, if they were, would he regret it? He didn't think so. In fact, he wanted to show Keith off to the galaxy, to spell his name in the stars, to tell every single planet and civilisation that he was in love with the best person in the universe.

Keith sat up, straddling Lance, his hands smoothing over the soft, lean surface of his chest. 

"You're so  _handsome_ ," he whispered, slowly leaning down, feeling Lance's rebellious hands squeeze his backside. "And I have you all to myself."

Lance noticed that, as Keith leaned down, he pressed his groin against his, subtly wriggling his hips. The Blue Paladin knew, in the back of his mind, there was a voice relaying doubts, that this was wrong, that this wasn't the best thing to do—but then again, it felt  _so right_ at the same time, he couldn't help but melt into the kiss Keith offered him, and let his fingers curl in his hair.

"God," Lance murmured, his eyes lewd and lidded, pressing compliments and sweet nothings into Keith's skin. "You're gorgeous."

He kissed Keith like he was never going to see him again. His hands became needy, cascading over Keith's pale back and taking extra care around the sensitive scar tissue riddling his skin. Then, Keith licked a stripe over Lance's lips, inviting him into a deeper, breathy kiss. His jacket was tossed to the floor. 

"I bet you can't get any naughtier, since you protested earlier," Keith chuckled lowly, grazing his lips against Lance's jawline. "Give it all to me, babe, I'm yours."

"Mine, huh?" Lance whispered, accepting another kiss, and another, and another. The fourth he took as an opportunity and sank his teeth into Keith's bottom lip to tug it, drawing a whimper out of him. "Is this testing your limits?"

"No," Keith grinned. "Try again."

Lance rolled his eyes with a small smile and aimed for Keith's ear, tugging on his earlobe with his teeth. Another whine escaped his lips.

"Lower," the Red Paladin whispered. "Almost there."

Lance realised exactly what Keith wanted, and there was that voice in his head again, reminding him of the terrible, unknown mistake he was making. Nonetheless, he pushed it away and marked Keith the way he wanted it, the way he  _needed_ it; the Red Paladin began to moan breathlessly under Lance's touch as he bit and sucked at the thin, sensitive skin of his neck, peppering him with love bites. 

"There," Lance whispered, catching Keith's tongue in another desperate kiss. "Now the whole galaxy knows you belong to me."

The glow in Keith's amethyst eyes was ravishing. He was beautiful. Breathtaking, even, and to Lance, nothing could compare, even when he was curled up next to him, fast asleep, emitting gentle purrs of delight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> keith where did those marks come from


	3. Separate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something has to be done.

An excruciating pain seared within Lance's weak stomach which jolted him right out of his sleep. Luckily, it was morning, and Keith was still curled up in a deep slumber which the Blue Paladin appreciated. He looked soft and calm, which was what he deserved, and Lance felt a surge of emotions overcome his stomach ache while he gazed over the sleeping Paladin. He couldn't believe he'd fell in love so quickly with a boy this peaceful; Lance knew, after all this time, that Keith was going to be his, forever. It was fate. They were meant to be. That's what he thought, anyway.

Pidge had never seen Lance sprint so quickly down the hall clutching a hand over his mouth as he darted into the bathroom and retched. She stood there and sighed. Aftereffects, she thought, were new to the two Paladins, and although they hadn't done a lot of research on the insect itself, Pidge knew it was making Lance sick. The venom had to get out one way or another. She was just about to dash to Lance's assistance before Keith emerged and sped to the bathroom.

"Are they okay?" Hunk asked. "Is Lance— oh God—"

"Lance is sick!" Keith whined as he emerged from the bathroom with an arm around the Blue Paladin. "Is he okay? I don't want him unwell!"

Hunk sighed. Would it hurt to tell them what happened, or should they ride the love-train along with them, experiencing every sickening burst of affection on the way? They were probably too absorbed in each other to listen, but right now, both the Green and Yellow Paladin had their eyes glued to deep, scarlet bruises decorating Keith's pale neck and shoulders. The Red Paladin cupped Lance's cheeks to stroke them comfortingly.

"Is that..." Hunk whispered. "Are those—"

"Hickeys?" Pidge frowned. "Yeah."

The pair stared at one another in fear. Talking to Shiro seemed like their most desperate resort.

"You're going to be okay, my Prince, I'm going to take care of you," Keith wrapped his arms around Lance's waist. "Do you feel better? Worse?"

"Keith, are those hickeys on your neck made by Lance?" Pidge questioned, knowing it was obvious and the Red Paladin was in far too deep to decline.

Keith nodded and craned his neck as he approached the two Paladins, showcasing his brand new marks. Lance folded his arms and grinned wearily, the evidence of illness plastered over his tired face.

"Yeah! Aren't they pretty?" Keith cooed. "I want them to last forever. Isn't Lance the best?"

While he sighed dreamily, Pidge began to fume on the inside, and in an instant she was marching towards the leader of the pack to receive advice. She didn't want to leave Hunk alone to rot with the couple's sweetness, but they needed to be supervised. The Green Paladin approached him during his early-morning training with a scowl twisting her face. Shiro looked up, dropped the weight he was lifting, and turned to Pidge.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You're up early."

If looks could kill, Shiro would already be on the floor.

 _"No!!"_ Keith shrieked as he was dragged, kicking and screaming, away from the Blue Paladin by Shiro's strong efforts. "You can't! Let me—  _Shiro!_ Please! He's mine! H-He's—!"

Lance couldn't keep his eyes off those weeping, amethyst eyes. Keith really was sobbing his broken heart out as he writhed against Shiro. This was anything but fair, the Blue Paladin was completely devoted to him and tearing them apart was one way to infuriate him. They  _had_ to be together. One without the other wasn't possible, and hearing Keith cry that hard made his heart ache.

Hunk was holding him back as he tried to shrug him off, squirming and kicking and resisting, trying to let go, trying to get closer, Keith was like a drug and he was already experiencing withdrawal.

"Let me go!" Lance sobbed. "Hunk! This isn't fair! He needs me!"

"No, no no, please," Keith cried, his heels dragging across the floor as Shiro tugged him into the next room. "No!  _Please,_ Lance—!!"

The door clicked shut before Lance could say another word, but he could still hear Keith's muffled, desperate whimpers from behind it. The Blue Paladin let his limbs fall slack and complied with Hunk and Pidge as he walked solemnly along with them, his arms wrapped around his torso, trying to get that last feeling of Keith's skin, Keith's touch, Keith's  _scent—_ Lance found himself weeping again. This was far too overbearing.

"Lance, we need to talk," Hunk sighed. "Look, bud, we don't want to tear you away from Keith, but we're going to break it to you."

Meanwhile, Keith sulked on the floor of the training room as he watched Shiro assist the Princess. His heart burned. Everything on the inside just screamed  _Lance._  The voice in the back of his mind had assembled a chorus of doubt and how most of this was a  _sham_ , a mistake, something was messing with him, that this wasn't real. If Keith was crying this hard, he knew it was real. He'd never felt so much for someone else before. Lance was his world, his universe, and nobody was going to take that away from him. Not even if he was dragged away, kicking and screaming.

"Let me go back," Keith sniffed. "Please!"

Shiro ignored the Red Paladin's plea and continued talking to the Princess. Coran emerged seconds later and joined the conversation, leaving Keith as a recluse in the corner of the room, solemnly glaring at himself in the reflection of the mirror. He wanted to be back in Lance's arms, small and comfortable, falling asleep just like he did the night before. But now, they were acting like their love was forbidden, and Keith just couldn't understand why.

"We have some results," Coran announced. Keith didn't even bother eavesdropping, he just didn't care. "But we just need some more evidence."

"Well, Lance was sick this morning," Shiro explained. "As I heard—"

Keith flinched at the reminder of his one and only being ill, and stood up to rush over.

"He is!" he cried. "Lance is sick and I'm not there to—"

"He's fine." Shiro said, flatly. "Go and train. Lance is fine."

"But he isn't! Didn't you see him in tears?" Keith snapped. "He needs me there! I need to see him for comfort!"

"You don't," the Princess sighed. "Just focus on the task at hand."

Keith couldn't understand why everyone was so collected. He was just ripped away from his lover, forced into another room, and now he didn't know if he was ever going to see Lance again. His tearducts stung at the thought.

"The task," Keith breathed. "The task is for me to get back in there! I can't leave him on his own!"

Lance folded his arms and glared at Hunk. He couldn't be any more angry at this point, and his stomach still ached and growled like he hadn't eaten for days. Pidge, on the other hand, sat with her laptop on her legs, her head in her hands, pressing her fingertips into her temples. She shouldn't have torn them apart. Sitting them down and having a quiet chat would have been much better.

"He  _does_ love me!" Lance protested and jabbed a finger into Hunk's chest. "In fact, I'll have you know that Keith and I are happy together and there's nothing you can do to stop us from doing what we want."

"Actually," Hunk sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with guilt. "We're going to supervise you two for your own safety. In case you do anything you'll regret."

"Regret?" Lance scoffed. "Why would I regret anything with Keith?"

"Because you don't actually love him! He doesn't actually love you!" Pidge groaned. "Y'know what, fuck this, Hunk, just leave it be. He's too infatuated to listen."

Lance grinned at his friend. He was going to see Keith whether they liked it or not. And he was going to do whatever he wanted with Keith, because what was he, five? He couldn't be grounded from seeing his own boyfriend. Lance's heart raced at the thought of him. Oxytocin dashed through his veins like lightning, delivering a powerful response in his head, bursting like fireworks. It didn't feel normal, and Lance was brought back down to Earth for a second, before Hunk brought up Keith again.

Hunk sighed. "So you definitely love Keith, huh?"

Lance nodded. "Of course."

"With all your heart?"

"Yeah!"

Breakfast was later than usual but at least Lance kept it down. Keith experienced waves of nausea and didn't eat as much, but sitting beside his new boyfriend was comforting and persuaded him to eat more. The Blue Paladin still didn't feel close enough, so he dragged Keith onto his lap and allowed him to sit in a comfortable straddle, with his slender, honey-skinned fingers brushing through his tousled mullet. The other Paladins put down their cutlery in disgust. Allura propped her chin up with a hand and rolled her eyes. This was so unprofessional.

"Have you eaten?" Lance cooed and pressed a kiss to Keith's cheek. "Y'know you're gonna be hungry later, honey bunny."

"I've had my fill," Keith giggled at the pet name and smoothed his hands over Lance's chest. "I'm waiting to have dessert."

"What's dessert?" Lance asked.

"You," Keith winked. "You can be the cherry on top."

"Jesus Christ," Pidge mumbled. "Can we separate them yet?"

"No." Shiro swallowed. "Keith wouldn't stop whining."

"Neither did Lance."

"That tickles," Lance giggled as Keith's lips pecked his earlobe. "Hey!"

Shiro looked over at Pidge as she chewed the inside of her cheek. It wasn't the greatest sight to behold, but Shiro knew they were both happy momentarily, and perhaps they won't even remember what happened after the venom had been flushed through their bodies. 

"This won't last forever," Shiro reasoned. "I mean, Keith's happy. Lance is happy. Let them have their fun without going too far."

"Too far?" Hunk murmured. "You don't know what's too far for them, and what's too far for the normal them."

"Isn't Keith so gorgeous," Lance sighed. His eyes beamed. The pink had blended into his ocean eyes, making his irises appear purple. "I think I love him so much it confuses me."

The Red Paladin was walking towards the door. Pidge raised a brow; why would he walk away if Lance was right there? Unless, he was walking away to retrieve something. She kept watching until he disappeared, and Lance's gaze finally settled back on his fellow Paladins.

"Lance," Hunk murmured. "Where is Keith going?"

"Oh," Lance smiled. "He's getting ready."

"For what?"

"Me!"

Shiro bolted from his chair and dashed in Keith's direction immediately. Pidge and Hunk had their eyes trained on Lance, even if the Blue Paladin was staying put, his face contorted in confusion. All he wanted was to spend time with Keith and he didn't know why they were being so cautious about it. 

Pidge couldn't believe this had all happened in less than a day. She already knew Shiro had to deal with Keith whining, and Lance probably wasn't any better. He was acting like a wounded animal right now, and although Pidge didn't want to care, she felt some remorse for them. It didn't feel right to drag them away from each other even if the love was only temporary. She watched Allura sigh.

"I'm sorry," Pidge huffed. "We didn't plan for this to happen."

"I understand," the Princess smiled. "It's strange seeing them like this when they're quarrelling all the time."

"I guess it's nice?" Hunk raised a brow. "I mean, it's the complete opposite of fighting, and they're listening to each other, so it might help them in battle."

Shiro tugged Keith back into the room by his ear and dumped him next to Lance. He covered Lance's eyes with his hands.

"Guess who," Keith cooed. A smile spread across Lance's face.

"My little snuggle bear?" Lance giggled.

"Yeah!"

Shiro folded his arms and gritted his teeth, glaring at the rest of his team while Keith leaped into Lance's lap again. He had to call a meeting at some point. Nothing was ever going to get done. Coran raised from his chair and beckoned the Paladins away from the table, leaving Keith and Lance alone. If anybody knew what was going on, it was him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> theyre too clingy


	4. Volunteer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If they can't be on their own, who has to take care of them?

Shiro stared at the bug encased in a cylindrical glass as it laid down, ending its futile attempts to escape. The glow was subtle and flickered as if the bug was sleeping. The wings were iridescent and shimmered daintily under the blue castle light, almost excusing it of its passionate, feral personality, its untamed actions upon the two infatuated Paladins not quite pardoned. Coran walked over carrying a clipboard holding a bountiful amount of paper coated in scribbles.

"Since Pidge appropriately named this little blighter 'Cupid,' it's safe to say that it has inflicted these intense emotions of love and happiness onto the two Paladins," he explained. "Luckily, since Lance is already going through the stage of rejecting venom through sickness, it's likely that he could recover before Keith. Or they could recover at the same time."

Shiro sighed in relief. "But will they be the same after this entire situation?"

Pidge bit her lip. They really couldn't afford the two Paladins to be sour to one another after this.

"I think so." Coran nodded. "It's not likely that they'll remember what happened, they'll probably wake up in the same bed and freak out, but then the day will go ahead as usually planned."

"Right," Pidge sighed. "And how long is this going to take exactly?"

"That I don't know for sure," Coran tapped his bottom lip in thought. "I doubt it'd be long. A week at the latest. Lance has already shown signs of recovery."

"And Keith?" Hunk questioned. "Do you think Keith's recovering or will he stay the same forever?"

Meanwhile, Lance wrapped Keith up in a blanket and held a glass of water in front of him to drink from, his eyebrows knitted in concern. Keith looked pale, paler than before, and his lips bloomed a baby pink. His hands trembled as he took the cup from Lance and sipped feverishly. Both of them saw this sudden sickness as a stomach bug and nothing more. The Blue Paladin placed the cup back on his nightstand and cradled Keith, gently brushing his fingers through his hair.

"How do you feel?" he asked. "You look terrible, sweetheart."

Keith sniffed sickly and looked up at his lover with sunken, purple eyes. "I feel a little bit better, I'm just so tired, Lancey."

"Tired?" Lance smiled softly. "You want Lancey-Lance to sleep with you again?"

Keith nodded. He fell asleep against Lance's chest quickly and didn't move for about an hour, before he was jolted awake by thoughts he didn't appreciate. Doubts kept rushing through his head, poisoning his sweet, fluff-filled mind with honest opinions and fears. Along with his stomach ache, Keith bolted up in bed in a cold sweat, jolting Lance out of his sleep in a small panic. He didn't want to feel like this. He  _loved_ Lance.

"Are you okay?" Lance asked and sat up to caress Keith's back. He was so tender. "Do you feel ill?"

"No," Keith swallowed. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do," Lance cooed, gently wrapping his arms around the smaller Paladin's waist. "I love you so much!"

Keith closed his eyes and let the negative thoughts diminish, drifting off into the back of his mind like clouds. He then settled into Lance's side and kissed his soft lips, his tired eyes beaming subtly, the fuchsia glowing against Lance's flushing cheeks.

"I love you too."

After talking to Coran, Pidge sat with the remainder of the Paladins in an attempt to try and make the next mission work. Separating them had to be an option to prevent them from getting too clingy, but after watching them climb all over one another, it was compulsory. Someone had to pair up with each of them. They were going to get themselves killed otherwise, and that wasn't a great scenario at all. Being two Paladins short was already bad enough. Having two Paladins short forever was going to be painful, emotionally and physically.

Keith and Lance sat in the lounge wrapped up in a blanket talking about missions and past battles, complimenting one another on their technique. Hunk joined in now and again but it proved to be pointless, the couple would always resort to talking about each other instead of involving Hunk. Keith was absorbed in Lance's voice and the way he gestured. Lance was pretty much the same—he couldn't keep his hands off Keith's knee.

"As you can see, if you look closely," Coran whispered beside Shiro and Pidge. "They have a deep red mark on their neck, near their jugular."

"I see," Shiro nodded. "Why?"

"I have a feeling the bug bites them, and uses its stinger to inject the venom," Coran muttered. "It seems strange, they're always fighting, aren't they?"

Pidge curled her lip in disgust at the sight of Keith's tongue slipping into Lance's mouth. He was straddled upon him lazily, kissing him passionately, ignoring the public environment. Anywhere but here, she thought. She'd have to get used to it. Even Hunk glared at her, wishing he were somewhere else.

"We can't leave them be," Shiro whispered. "We have to keep an eye on them in case they do something they regret."

Keith allowed Lance to shimmy out from underneath him and the rest of the Paladins sighed as he walked out of the room. Out of everyone, Allura seemed the most confused, and none of them wanted to explain how hard it was to keep them apart. Hunk eventually had to stand up and follow Lance.

"Where did Lance just go, Keith?" Shiro asked. Keith fumbled his fingers.

"He, um," Keith swung his legs. "H-He's getting a drink of water."

Shiro sighed. "Where did Lance go?"

Keith swallowed. Pidge braced herself for the answer. All the Red Paladin wanted to do was make hot, sweet love in peace.

"He went to wait for me in the bedroom."

Hunk soon appeared again, carrying Lance back into the room and placing him beside Keith. He crossed his arms and pouted.

"Let me be with Keith," he murmured. "We're doing nothing wrong."

Shiro took a deep breath and sighed. He didn't want to have to take control of a relationship, even if it was fake. It violated their privacy.

"Okay, does anyone want to volunteer to sleep with Keith or Lance tonight?" he questioned. The room fell silent.

"I'm not sleeping without Keith!" Lance huffed. "I'd rather die!"

"Okay." Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling sharply through his nose in annoyance. "Who wants to sleep with Keith and Lance tonight?"

The room was uncomfortably silent. It was a job nobody wanted to do; Lance and Keith shared a few giggles in the midst of the silence. Both of them knew it was against their rules, but weren't rules meant to be broken? Lance didn't care. He was going to have Keith whether they liked it or not.

"I will," Pidge murmured. "Nobody else will, but it's fine, I'm used to all-nighters."

"Are you sure?" Hunk asked. "I can swap with you if you want."

"No," she sighed. "I'll power through. I have work to do."

Shiro looked at the Green Paladin. He knew he'd have to swap with her at some point, he didn't want her going through sleepless nights just to watch over two mischievous Paladins. Her body was young and needed sleep.

"Just come and wake one of us up if you need help," he muttered. "You don't have to go through the entire night."

"Who knows, it might be like a high school slumber party," Pidge laughed sarcastically. "Full of secrets and, well, kissing."

It wasn't like a high school slumber party.

With her eyelids heavy and drooping, she sat against the wall with her laptop upon her knees and her glasses askew on the bridge of her nose. She was tired, so very tired, and her body clock knew it was well past midnight. She'd already been asked questions by the boys, mainly about them; who was better? Who was the cutest? Who had nice eyes, the brightest smile, and so on. Her answers would always be cut off by one of their stupid cliché love tropes. Every single sentence was smothered with love and pet names and she almost yelled at them to be quiet. Pidge knew debugging code wasn't the best job, but it was certainly better than listening to them lock tongues and having to rip them apart from each other every five minutes. They could barely keep their hands to themselves. The boys soon got used to her being in the room, however, and now they were sat underneath the covers, with their only light source being a torch. Pidge could see their silhouettes beneath the sheets.

"I really want to make you feel like the happiest person alive," Lance spoke in barely a whisper, his eyes beaming and focused on Keith's tired ones. "I want to—"

"You already do make me feel like the happiest person alive," Keith whispered, pressing a kiss to Lance's nose. "I wouldn't want anybody else."

"No," Lance giggled quietly. "I want to make you feel good."

"Oh," Keith snickered. "I want that too."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

Pidge put her head in her hands as she heard the boys erupt into giggles again. It was great that they were happy and laughing and enjoying each other's company, but she didn't want to have to put up with their conversations if they were this intimate. Her tiredness had beaten her, and she slowly trudged towards Shiro's door, waited for it so slide open, and hugged her laptop against her chest.

"I'm too tired," she whispered. "I'd get down there fast before they do anything."

Shiro sighed. "Alright, you did good."

The Black Paladin bid Pidge a good night and walked over to Keith's room. Fortunately, they'd assumed their close position, with Keith wrapped up in the Blue Paladin's lean arms, his face buried into the warmth of his neck. Shiro felt sympathy for a reason he couldn't put a finger on. None of this was real, and even if Lance had been told that, he was never going to take it in. Coran had said that they weren't going to remember, but seeing Keith so calm and happy in the comfort of Lance's arms made Shiro  _want_ them to remember. Lance distracted him from every little thing he was afraid of. What were they going to do once the venom left their system?

He rubbed the sleep dust from his eyes and sat in the same place Pidge did. He knew the Red and Blue Paladins were exchanging quiet conversation and tried not to listen. Everything was so meaningful yet false at the same time. It hurt to listen.

"You know I'd take a bullet for you, right?" Keith murmured. "You mean a lot to me."

"No," Lance whispered. "Don't do that."

"But I mean it," Keith caressed his thumb over the Paladin's cheek. "I'm not afraid to die for you."

"Me neither," Lance yawned. "But don't. None of us should. We both need each other, you tired little cutie-pie."

Shiro leaned his head against the wall and sighed quietly. Self-sacrifice was never a good way out, whether you loved someone or not, Shiro knew that. He had to give them a lecture about that at some point, he didn't even want to resort to giving them a lecture at all. He never had to in the past. The boys knew Shiro was there and he was much more of a higher authority compared to the rest of the Paladins.

"Goodnight," Lance smiled, pecking Keith's forehead. "I love you!"

Shiro could see the way their eyes glowed in the dark. How they didn't recognise that in each other, he didn't know. They were both completely infatuated to notice, he thought, and clearly  _too_ infatuated to take each other's sickness seriously. This was either going to be brought up again and again after they were cured, or it was going to be swept under the rug altogether.

"I love you too," Keith smiled, nuzzling his face into the warm comfort of Lance's neck.

The Black Paladin had to stay, even if he felt tired himself. Luckily, he'd slept most of the night compared to Pidge, who only managed to get to sleep a minute ago. At least he'd gotten their tired personalities instead of the ones Pidge had to deal with. He hoped they didn't bother her too much. With a final sigh of relief, he heard the two Paladins fall into a deep slumber. They were tame. For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for the positive messages!!
> 
> if you guys have any fluffy or smutty headcanons related to these bois, feel free to tell me! <3


	5. Intrigued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance still doesn't understand why they're not allowed to be alone.

"Oh my God, Keith!"

Lance had fistfuls of Keith's hair clenched in his trembling hands. This was the third time Keith had been rejecting anything that went into his system and all Lance could do was stand there and watch. It would have helped it Keith didn't have such long hair, but he held it back anyway, wincing at the sound of Keith. It was horrible, he never wanted to see Keith like this at all, and now that they'd been together for a few days now, they'd just gotten used to it. Lance had pushed away every single wave of nausea, which wasn't smart, but he doubted that he was as sick as Keith was. After he was done, he swept Keith up in a bridal carry.

"Feel any better?" Lance picked up a tissue and wiped Keith's lips. "Do you need a nap or anything?"

"No," Keith murmured. "Can I have some water?"

"Yeah—!"

Suddenly, all the sirens in the castle began blaring at once and Lance almost dropped Keith in shock. He couldn't let Keith fight in a state like this, without Lance, it was going to be impossible. Gone were the days when both Paladins were independent and able to do everything themselves. Lance had to be around Keith at all times, especially now that he was sick, even if he had no idea why.

He raced down the vast, blindingly-white halls of the castle to the hangar to talk to Shiro. It was a good reason. Either Keith didn't come or Lance was going to be with him every minute of the way. They couldn't rip him away from Keith again. It wasn't fair. They needed each other more than they needed air to breathe. Maybe it wasn't a mission, maybe it was emergency training, or some other unimportant chore; Lance hoped so, anyway. For Keith's sake. 

He approached the Paladins pulling on their armour as quickly as possible. Their speed made something angry flare within Lance, and he approached Shiro with Keith falling asleep in his arms.

"He can't go!" Lance hissed. "You can't make Keith go if he's sick!"

"I can." Shiro replied, sternly. "He's not that unwell, Lance, he doesn't have a proper illness."

"He does!" Lance cried. "Keith needs to stay!"

"He's not staying, Lance," Shiro murmured. "Put your suit on."

"No!"

At that moment, Keith was torn from Lance's arms by Pidge in an attempt to separate them for the umpteenth time. The Red Paladin protested and ran his hands through his hair feverishly, before collecting his suit. His stomach felt empty. Lunch had just disappeared down the toilet and Shiro was never going to let him eat anything now, it was far too late. Allura's orders barked through their speakers instantaneously. They were already late to their mission. Keith looked over to Lance solemnly and hopped into the chute to get to their respective Lions.

"Okay," Shiro began, his hands upon his flight sticks as he soared into the deep, starry abyss. "Where are we heading?"

"You'll see a fleet not so far from here," Allura replied. "You're going to need to guide them away from the nearest planet they're attacking."

"Alright. Keith, you're with me, we have to—"

"I'm not going anywhere without Lance," Keith swallowed.

His head started to spin and being suspended in the middle of space wasn't helping. He hadn't slept well due to his insecurities and his constant battling thoughts of Lance and their relationship. He hadn't had anything to eat without it being upchucked into the toilet again. At this point, Keith probably wasn't going to care who he was with, he just wanted to go back, go to sleep, and take things easy.

"Fine," Pidge groaned. "Keith, Lance, you can go help that planet. We'll fight these guys, deal?"

"Much better!" Lance chuckled. "C'mon Keith!"

The Red and Blue Lion manoeuvred through opposing battleships and shuttles in an attempt to reach the small planet in front of them. As soon as they landed, they greeted one another with a hug and took control of things from the ground. There were barely any Galra soldiers, which was strange, compared to the fleet the rest of the team were up against.

"How do you feel?" Lance asked while running up to the Red Paladin, intertwining their fingers together. "Any better?"

"Yeah," Keith lied. "I'm fine."

Lance smiled. "Good."

Keith knew that if Lance was worried, nothing was ever going to get done. So, with little to no effort, they destroyed the remaining fleet on the ground and left the celebrating citizens alone. Returning back to the Lions was easy. Strangely enough, both of them felt uncomfortable with how short the mission was, but knowing there was still work to be done gave them something to think about. They were journeying back to the rest of the team in minutes.

"What else do you need?" Lance asked. "Keith and I got the ones on the planet."

"Actually, you guys should just go back," Shiro sighed. "Does anybody want to supervise Lance and Keith back at the castle?"

Once again, the question didn't receive a reply. Pidge was far too busy tapping her quick fingers on the holographic dashboard in front of her, while Hunk was having fun destroying the rest of the fleet. The Blue Paladin crossed his legs and gazed upon the battlefield, wishing he could do something better. Something inside of him didn't sit right. It was one bad thought amongst dozens of happier ones. It was distracting him, and as a result he was shot at, which caused him to pay attention a lot quicker.

"Lance!" Keith gasped. "Are you okay?"

"Mhm," Lance chuckled nervously. "Did you say we could go back to the castle?"

"Yes," Shiro sighed. "Please."

Upon arriving at the castle, Keith felt even worse, and Lance wasn't far off. They slowly trudged through the castle hand-in-hand to find Coran and Allura who were completely absorbed in handling the mission, so it wasn't like the two lost Paladins had anything to do. Coran, however, was standing in the background, half paying attention, half writing on a clipboard, so Lance walked over intrigued.

"What's that?" he asked while Coran shielded the information on the clipboard by holding it against his chest.

"Nothing," Coran replied. "I'm— It's an array of information about your fighting techniques."

"Oh, cool," Lance beamed. "Can I see mine?"

"I haven't started writing yours."

Lance sighed. "Do you know why the rest of the team don't want Keith and I together?"

Keith leaned his head against Lance's shoulder and yawned. He'd kill for something to eat. Coran shrugged nonchalantly, not daring to reveal anything Shiro has told him.

"No, unfortunately," Coran replied. "But you've been asked to stay put. You're not allowed to go anywhere without someone watching you. Keith? Are you alright?"

"I'm hungry," Keith whimpered. "But every time I eat I throw up."

Coran led Keith to the kitchen and poured him a drink. The liquid was blue and iridescent, smelled like mouthwash, and Lance didn't trust it instantly. However, if this was going to help Keith feel better, he had to let him drink it.

"This should calm your stomach," Coran explained. "It's alright if you drink it all in one go."

It tasted salty against Keith's tongue as he gulped down a large mouthful. He grimaced and almost spat it out again if it weren't for Lance's comforting hand against his back.

Lance, on the other hand, wasn't happy. Keith had lied to him about how he felt, and although he liked wrapping him up in a blanket and sitting on the bed with him, he couldn't help but ask him about it. The relationship had to be based on trust, right?

"Why did you tell me you were okay?" he murmured, kissing Keith's forehead. "I would have done everything for you."

"I didn't want you to worry," Keith murmured, his eyelids heavy. "I'm okay now, I promise."

"If you say so," Lance whispered, gently rocking Keith back and forth upon his lap. 

Coran had to stand outside on Shiro's orders. He didn't want the reason explained, but he was trustworthy and never attempted to eavesdrop on the Paladins' conversations. He stood close enough to the door to hold it open so it wouldn't automatically slide shut, but not close enough to watch what was going on. He trusted the Paladins, at least. 

"Do you want to take a nap still?" Lance asked, cupping Keith's cheeks and kissing his velvet lips when he shook his head. "What would you like to do?"

"I'd like to eat something."

Coran escorted the boys to the kitchen to make them something small. Soon enough, the rest of the team arrived with triumphant, proud smiles, grabbing whatever food was placed upon the table. Allura walked in to congratulate them.

"Well done!" she beamed. "I'm glad that Keith came, despite his illness."

"Yeah, I'm proud of him too," Lance nodded and wrapped an arm around the Red Paladin. "He did really well!"

"So did you," Keith giggled, tapping the Blue Paladin's nose. "I'm proud of you."

"We did it in the end," Pidge grinned. "And I guess Keith and Lance did a good job too."

Keith relaxed into Lance's side. He felt so grateful, he loved being taken care of. There was something inside of him that loved the praise, too.

"May I ask," Allura murmured near Pidge's ear. The rest of the Paladins retired to the lounge. "Why aren't Keith and Lance allowed near one another alone?"

The Green Paladin edged towards the door. This was something she didn't want to explain at all. She didn't have any choice, now that she was put on the spot, and Allura couldn't be the only one who was oblivious to this situation.

"Uh," Pidge scratched the back of her neck, wishing she'd rushed off before anyone else. "Just in case they do anything they regret in the future."

Allura looked puzzled. "Regret?"

Pidge sighed and gritted her teeth. "Yeah. Regret."

She stood there and watched the Princess turn even more confused. Pidge was exhausted and she didn't want to deal with another sleepless night.

"Maybe talk to Shiro or Hunk," Pidge yawned. "I don't know how to explain it."

Shiro had to explain the hard way. Hunk kept Keith and Lance in sight. Pidge rubbed her eyes and stared at the screen of her laptop, wishing she were somewhere else, or at least as happy as the two Paladins were.

"You see," Shiro sighed. "If we leave Keith and Lance alone, they're going to get a little risky."

Allura cocked a brow. "Okay."

"And we can't let them do that because, well, they're not actually in love," Shiro scratched the back of his neck. "So we each have to take turns in supervising them. Tonight it's Hunk, I think."

Hunk didn't seem to mind, even if he had to listen to their loved-up nonsense. He sat against the wall just like Shiro and Pidge did and tried to blink his tiredness away while Keith kissed the shell of Lance's ear. His fingers tangled in his chocolate locks, shimmying his backside onto the Blue Paladin's lap.

"You're cute in the dark," Keith brushed his lips against Lance's cheek. "You're so soft, too."

Hunk rolled his eyes. It couldn't get worse, surely?

"I bet you're soft somewhere else," Keith added, nipping at Lance's throat. The Blue Paladin smirked, almost wishing Keith was pushing his backside anywhere but his groin, and that the blood would pool somewhere else. Keith then leaned into Lance's ear and spoke as quietly as possible. "We could try something sneaky."

"Sneaky?" Lance whispered. "Hunk's right—"

"Yeah, and I can hear you," Hunk folded his arms. "Sorry buddy."

"Hunk," Lance groaned, kissing Keith's chin. "You're cockblocking me."

Hunk grimaced at Keith's shrill giggle. "I am, unfortunately."

"C'mon," Lance whined. "I'll let you sit in the passenger seat next time!"

"You let me sit in the passenger seat since you went with Coran," Hunk snorted. "No, Lance."

"Please?" Keith pouted, feeling his t-shirt bunch up from Lance's climbing hands. They smoothed against his sinewy chest. "You don't have to tell anyone."

"I'll have to," Hunk sighed. "And if you keep going I'll separate the both of you."

Keith huffed and slumped back into Lance's lap. He wasn't getting anywhere at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stop cockblocking lance!!!


	6. Reward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coran explains why they’re fawning over each other so much.

"God, isn't Keith so handsome?" Lance sighed.

It was all Hunk had been listening to. For the past few days, he had to be paired with Lance because the couple had a habit of sneaking off when the others seemed oblivious, and while Keith was training with Shiro and the Alteans, Lance had been forced to play nice and help Hunk and Pidge with their work. Although it wasn't much to do, it was something to do, but not enough to distract the Blue Paladin from his aching heart.

"Yes." Hunk muttered. "You've said that about six times now."

Lance threw and caught the metal scrap in his hand, an activity he'd been absorbed in for the past lonely days. Helping was something he was good at before he fell deeply in love with Keith, and as their love quickly grew mature over the past week, Lance was slowly getting better. Slowly. So excruciatingly slowly that Shiro demanded to have them placed in a healing pod until all the effects wore off. 

Coran said no.

"Can you do something?" Pidge sighed. "We're trying our best to help you get back to Keith, alright? If you do this one task, we'll let you see Keith."

Lance beamed. "Is that a promise?"

"Yes," Pidge huffed, throwing him a sheet of paper covered in equations. "Do this and then we'll call it quits."

Lance snatched the piece of paper from mid-air and stared at it with a groan. What a bore. The Green Paladin was no fun, this wasn't Lance's idea of a good time and Keith wasn't even around to prove it. He grabbed a pen, clicked it, and completed every single equation nonetheless, his handwriting scratchy because of how shaky his excitement made him. Seeing Keith again felt like Christmas. Once he was finished, Lance passed the sheet of paper back to Pidge who was clearly impressed by his answers.

"Thanks," Pidge replied. "Go ahead, you can leave."

However, as Keith entered the room with a proud smile stretching his lips, her jaw clenched in regret. She really shouldn't have let him go that easily, especially now that they were all over each other, smothering their happy faces in desperate kisses, giggling like idiots. Pidge pulled up her laptop screen and rolled her eyes. Whatever they were doing, it was none of her business.

"Hello, you," Keith smiled, squeezing Lance's waist and tip-toeing to kiss his nose. "I broke a new record!"

"Wow, you did?" Lance beamed while cupping his cheeks. "I'm so proud of my little red lion cub!"

"Hehehe!"

Shiro approached Pidge with Coran following him. Hunk remained in the corner, but as soon as he was beckoned by him, he walked over quickly. He didn't want another public showing of Lance and his tongue.

"I think I've done enough research," Coran muttered. "Allura and I have finished it, would you all come with me?"

"It's important," Allura nodded. "If you want Keith and Lance to be their normal selves, I recommend you listen to Coran."

The bug in the glass cylinder flickered weakly. It was being sustained by berries chosen by Coran but it didn't seem to eat at all. Shiro looked at the piles of paper upon Coran's desk, hearing the boys in the room next door laugh their hardest; it was then he realised that he shouldn't have left them alone. Fuck, now he was going to get in trouble for not supervising them if they did something risky.

"The venom triggers surges of oxytocin," Coran explained. "Dopamine triggers the brain's pleasure and reward systems. By spending time with each other, they're bonding quicker, the reward system activates."

"So, if Lance saw Keith, vice versa," Hunk began. "He would see him as a reward?"

"Sort of," Coran shrugged. "But of course, the more time they spend together, the more they're going to crave the feeling of being rewarded."

Pidge sighed. "You know we left them alone back there, right? And you tell us that now?"

Everyone's heads turned to Shiro, who gave a long, resigned sigh, before strolling into the previous room and finding Keith's shirt discarded on the floor. Keith and Lance were absent. Shiro sighed louder.

"So," Coran continued. "If they want to be rewarded more, they're going to become aggressive. They're not going to let anybody get in their way of getting that reward."

Shiro approached Keith's bedroom door and sighed for the final time. He was lucky they were still clothed, sort of, committing some kind of reasonably-innocent act. Making out, but innocent. Keith's head whipped up and his body twisted at the sound of the door sliding open. Lance's hands fell quickly from his backside. The Black Paladin would have argued with them, but their eyes glowed far too brightly and angrily in the dark, similar to when the bug was desperate to escape.

"I hate to ruin your fun," Shiro scratched the back of his neck. "But I can't let you. C'mon, both of you."

Hunk cringed. "So the, the reward is—"

"Sex." Pidge nodded. "It's sex, Hunk."

"You can't keep ripping us apart!" Keith hissed. He was becoming animalistic. "I need him! He's _mine_ and you can't fucking have him!"

From then on, Shiro didn't care. He gripped Keith by the arm and yanked him out of the room, hearing him shout in protest, digging his heels into the floor as Lance leaped from the bed, wrapping his arms around Keith's waist.

"Let go!" Lance growled. "He's mine, Shiro!"

Pidge and Hunk lifted their heads as the commotion in the bedroom commenced. It echoed through the castle and disrupted their peace, as well as Coran's conversation, and Allura's train of thought; the Green Paladin huffed and stormed out of the room to assist Shiro. None of them wanted this. It had gone too far for their own good, and Shiro had the right nerve to knock both of them out for a week, just so he could have some bloody peace and quiet.

"Come on!" Pidge yelled. "Lance, let go! You're going to tear him apart!"

It all went downhill from there. Hunk and the Alteans approached them meekly but were quickly pulled into their roughness, leaving the entire team covered in scrapes and bruises.

They all sat in silence in the lounge. The Green Paladin held an ice pack to her head after being knocked to the ground. Shiro applied a bandage around Coran's wrist. Hunk held a tissue over the bleeding scratch marks he obtained from Lance's fingernails. Allura stared disappointingly at her Paladins, suddenly wishing for everything to go back to normal, for Keith and Lance to finally be cured. Shiro threw the bandages behind the couch and glared at the couple holding hands on the other side. Keith held an ice pack over his left eye while his partner rubbed his back. It was going to bruise, he just knew it.

Allura massaged her temples with her fingertips. "Now that you're all quiet, I want you to appreciate this silence," she muttered.

"I am, believe me," Pidge growled, glaring daggers at the couple on the opposite side of the room. "If these two won't shut the _fuck_ up!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Lance yelled. "Why can't you leave us alone!?"

 _"Quiet!"_ Shiro bellowed, standing up and approaching the Princess's side. "You are all to blame for your appalling behaviour."

The Paladins fell quiet. Even Pidge retreated to the couch, hiding behind her ice pack. It was rare when Shiro raised his voice to a terrifying extent. Hunk could barely look at him in the eye.

"You two," Shiro hissed at Keith and Lance. "I want you both separated and if I see you even a _metre_ apart, I won't fucking hesitate to rip you apart again. Do I make myself clear?"

Lance swallowed his anger. "But—"

"Do I make myself clear, McClain?!"

"Y-Yes!" Lance winced. "Yes, you do."

Keith sat alone in his room for the rest of the evening.

His heart had never ached so much for the boy he fell in love with, and now they weren't allowed together for a reason he couldn't figure out. He wanted to ask. They were keeping information from him and he hated it. The secrecy. The forceful separation of him and his lover. The bruise around his eye had began to form. If only Lance was there, he thought. He'd comfort him in no time, console him just the way he liked it, with close hugs and gentle kisses. Keith craved every aspect of him and he knew Lance did too.

Dinner was silent. The goodnights were silent. Keith's throat was sore from crying so hard after being left alone for too long. He was going to break the rules, he didn't care, even if Shiro's harsh discipline kept replaying in his head. He didn't understand why this was such a big deal, and why they couldn't just leave them both alone. He wanted the privacy. He craved the touches from Lance that he'd never felt before; his body was a work of art and Keith couldn't believe he was forbidden from beholding it.

His cheeks were stained with tears. He clutched at his stomach as he choked on his own sobs, trying to get that feeling back, that feeling of being held so tight it squeezed every negative thought out of him.

"Hey," a voice murmured, over the sound of his door sliding open. "Did you ask for a knight in shining armour—?"

"Lance," Keith breathed, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand, almost suffocating the Blue Paladin when he held him. "You can't be here. Shiro will know, and then he'll take you away again, and I, I can't—!"

He erupted into tears against Lance's chest, making sure he was stifled. The door locked shut with a small click, leaving them in secluded darkness. Keith's fists balled in the back of Lance's shirt as he cried his aching heart out, wishing this moment could last eternally. He didn't want to let Lance go ever again.

"They won't find out," Lance whispered. "I'll make sure of it, my love, I promise."

Keith was so, so grateful Lance had walked over to help him. He was willing to break the rules, they were made to be broken, and now he was spending the rest of the night in Lance's arms with his face buried in the crook of his neck.

"I won't let him take you, okay?" he whispered, pressing a kiss to Keith's forehead. "I'm going to love you forever, I don't care."

The Red Paladin sniffed. "Really?"

"Yeah!"

Once Keith fell asleep, Lance made sure he was comfortable and cosy before he closed his eyes. His love for the Red Paladin was definitely going to linger forever.

He looked so peaceful while he slept, which Lance loved. He gazed at him with a soft, fond smile, softly caressing his cheek as Keith slipped into a deep slumber.

The voice kept returning, yelling at him in the back of his head, terrifying him. Doubts about their relationship settled in and Lance tried his best to push them away. He loved Keith with all his heart and nothing was going to change that, he was sure, because Keith was his, he was Keith’s, and anything else was unthinkable.

He was lucky he managed to sneak out of his room. The team had let the boys sleep without supervision, which was a bad move, because Lance had skittered over in a heartbeat to comfort his sleeping Paladin. He gazed down at Keith once more and kissed his forehead, knowing Shiro could come in and find out at any moment; the door was locked and shut, so that was slightly impossible, but Lance knew of his impeccable strength and persistence. He knew he wasn’t going to last on Keith’s bedroom through the night.

Whatever. He held Keith as close as he could and closed his eyes, his breath blowing his fluffy mullet out of his eyes. He was going to love him forever. He didn’t care what anybody else said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for no updates, i was completing requests on my tumblr :”)


	7. Recover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone recovers quicker than the other. A mission goes wrong.

In a state of denial to wake up, Lance stirred in his resting stage of sleep and refused to move any further. So far, he felt blissful, and nothing was going to shake him out of it, not even the footsteps coming from the dreary Paladins outside. He stretched and turned once more. The same hunger pangs came crawling back to him which was different from the unexplained sickness he'd experienced over the past few days, but knowing breakfast in the castle was promising, he let himself wake up.

However, he let out a shrill shriek as he felt an arm snake around his waist. His eyelids snapped open in pure fear because nobody should be in his bed, not even, not even that  _Keith Kogane—_

"K-Keith?!" Lance sat up and watched Keith's eyes open. Upon looking around the room, he realised it wasn't even  _his_. "What am I—?!"

Keith blinked tiredly, a small, tired smile stretching his lips. "Good morning!"

Lance didn't even know what to feel. His mind was foggy. The events that led up to this very moment had extinguished in his head and he had so many questions rapidly reeling through his weary head. And although he'd always wanted to wake up next to Keith and feel his heart melt over his tired ' _Good morning,'_ he couldn't shake that odd feeling sitting in his gut. Keith's lilac eyes looked pinker for a reason Lance couldn't explain.

"Why am I in your room?" Lance swallowed thickly.

"Because you're my boyfriend and you came in last night," Keith explained, resting his head on Lance's growling stomach. "Because Shiro didn't want us alone together, they don't trust us for some reason. But you were sweet and came to sleep with me, so I'm happy!"

Lance's breath hitched at the word  _boyfriend_. This couldn't be happening, surely. This was all a cruel game set up by his mind to trick him, maybe the other Paladins were in on it too, but the Keith he knew didn't love him back. He was cocky and slightly arrogant but Lance found his generous, kind core over months of venting and trusting one another. This Keith was too soft, too gentle.

"This has to be a mistake," Lance muttered. "We're not— I'm not your boyfriend, Keith."

Keith couldn't understand what he was saying. His heart ached for him, for the boy insisting that he wasn't in love with him.

"Yes you are," Keith's brow furrowed. "You— You vowed last night that you'll love me forever!"

"I'm not—" Lance sat up. Oh God, what did he say? Was he drunk?

And then all of it—the bite, the venom, the sickness—came flooding back.

"Keith, I'm not your boyfriend, I-I'm really not," Lance crawled out of bed and pulled on his shirt. "I don't know what else I've said to you, but we aren't a thing."

With his hands shoved into his jacket pockets, he marched out of the room to try and get some answers. He heard Keith's feet skitter after him and his hand clutch his arm, but Lance swatted it off before he could get any cuddlier. The Blue Paladin wanted to weep. He felt so much pity for Keith. His personality didn't seem right, and although Lance wanted to fall in love with  _this_ Keith, the cute and cuddly Keith that would hold him and call him pet names, he knew it was all in his head. He continued walking until he was in the dining hall. Everyone raised their heads.

"Come on," Keith sniffed. "I love you, Lance—!"

"No, you don't," Lance turned, trying to reason with him. Tears were already threatening to spill. "You don't, Keith."

"I do!" Keith wailed. Lance took a seat next to Shiro. "Shiro, tell Lance—"

Lance didn't want to hear it, as much as he wanted Keith to love him as much as  _this_ Keith did. Pidge looked up over the lenses of her glasses feeling slightly relieved that Lance had returned to his original self, but full of remorse hearing Keith sob his heart out. This was never going to work, but all she had to do was wait it out. Lance felt solemn. Numb. Keith was silent when he sat next to him. He wanted to apologise, but what for?

"Come with me," Coran placed a hand upon his shoulder. Lance got up and followed him into the room that was hidden from him for so long.

He felt confused. He'd never seen such an unorganised room presented by Coran before. The bug in the cylindrical glass flickered timidly at Lance's presence, introducing another memory that faded into view. Coran picked up his clipboard and sat Lance down before he could ask questions.

"Now, I understand if you're confused," Coran began. "Do you remember anything prior to this morning?"

"I think so," Lance sighed. "Were we bitten? Or something? Keith called me a lot of pet names, kept saying he loved me, I think I said I loved him back at some point."

"Mhm," Coran nodded. "We tried explaining the concept to you, but you didn't want to listen, you insisted that you loved Keith with all your heart."

Lance's heart dropped. "I did?"

"You were bitten by that little blighter in the jar over there," Coran gestured to the bug on his desk. "It made you think Keith was the only one for you. Now I don't know if you had any feelings present originally, but it seems to have projected onto Keith. You were both fawning over each other, and I think you may have shattered Keith's heart by recovering first."

The swell in his throat was so painful. Upon swallowing, tears flooded down Lance's cheeks. He couldn't believe he'd hurt someone so close to him. Keith would never forgive him.

"In fact," Coran passed Lance a tissue. "I wasn't sure if you were going to remember it at all, and now it seems that you have. Very well."

"I feel awful," Lance hiccuped. "Will Keith recover? Will he even remember?"

"If you did, I'm sure he will too," Coran nodded. "So—"

Lance jolted in his seat as the sirens screeched overhead. Not now. Anytime but now. He had to deal with Keith whimpering through his helmet speaker in the middle of a mission, and his performance was going to drop significantly because he felt so remorseful. He glanced at Coran, almost pleading not to go.

"You'll be fine." Coran insisted. "Just ride it out."

Hunk watched Lance stroll into view as they approached their suits. He knew that mopey look on his face incredibly well, and even Pidge shared a knowing look. Shiro was obscuring Keith's view so he didn't have to look at his unrequited love, but he glared at Lance anyway, craving his presence beside him. His stomach felt nauseous. Lance wouldn't let him take care of him any more, and Keith would have to live with it.

Maybe he could get through to Lance. Just one more time.

"Lance," Keith breathed, reaching out to him. "Lance, I'm sorry."

"Get away from me," Lance swallowed. "I'm not going to baby you and don't you dare come and take control of me either."

Keith watched him disappear into the chute. "Okay."

Despite Lance telling him this, he kept close to his side throughout the entire battle. They landed on a planet infested with Galra soldiers attempting to infiltrate their core with dark energy as an attempt to conquer it for themselves. Lance mostly ignored Keith's presence, but kept an eye on him in case he was injured; he wasn't that careless.

The team kept running until they reached a dense forest and Shiro ordered everyone to split up, which was easy enough, but Keith was hesitant. He'd forgotten how to be independent. Luckily, Lance was on the other side and occasionally saw him running through the foliage like a knight in shining armour; Keith's heart was aching again. He used to be  _his_ night in shining armour.

A few soldiers managed to track them down but the team was resilient. Pidge and Hunk found one another again and took control of their radius. Shiro was in charge of keeping citizens safe, and so was Lance—until he was caught by a soldier and had a fist slammed into his nose, knocking him to the ground before slicing his thigh, rendering him useless and crying out in agony.

"Lance!" Pidge yelled through her mic. "Are you okay? Do you need assistance?"

"I can wait," Lance croaked, shifting against a nearby rock beside a quiet lake. 

The pain seared through him like lava, excruciatingly burning his insides as he quaked. He needed someone,  _anyone_ ; he was prey to any animal or being that loitered nearby. He heard Hunk's voice bark through his speaker after reassuring him that he was fine. Even Shiro seemed concerned. Keith didn't know about Lance's injuries until the whole team was yelling his name, and suddenly, he was racing through the forest trying to locate him.

Lance bled heavily. It poured out of a large gash in his thigh. He choked on sobs as he peeled away the skintight fabric of his suit, just to see how far it'd sliced into his leg. His cries were piercing, screaming bloody murder as he attempted to search for a pocket knife in the wrist compartment of his suit. Every single movement sent shockwaves of pain searing through his quivering body. Dying was inevitable. He wasn't going to last long.

"Lance," Keith breathed, crouching down beside him. "Are you—"

"What did I say?" Lance coughed. "I told you to not come after me!"

All Keith could do was watch as scared tears streamed down Lance's cheeks. "Do you have a lighter?" he swallowed.

"Lance, no."

"Give me a lighter!"

Keith slid the small lighter out of his leg compartment and quickly gave it to Lance. The Blue Paladin snatched the lighter and waved the flame over the knife until it was scalding hot. Keith couldn't watch. There had to be a better way, surely. He was already quivering in fright because he could  _lose_ Lance, and nobody else was around to help. He checked him for any more signs of distress to his body, and almost fainted when he saw blood flowing from Lance's nose.

Lance stared at the knife, glowing orange with heat, and slowly pressed it against his heavily bleeding wound. Keith's head turned away, the scream ripping Lance's throat loud enough to shake the birds from their nests and fill the air with petrified chattering. Lance had never thought he'd have to resort to such drastic measures, but if cauterising the wound was the only way out, he had to grit his teeth and bear it.

Afterwards, he threw the knife to the ground and sobbed. He cried hard enough to eradicate his voice. All Keith could do was sit there, replaying the horrifying scream that'd elicited from the Blue Paladin. He was terrified for him. Keith wiped his cheeks, wondering how he was going to make things right.

"Can—"

"Don't touch me," Lance hiccuped, his chest heaving. "Don't."

Keith started to fume. It wasn't about their manifested relationship any more.

"Let me fucking help!" Keith bellowed. "You can't sit there after cauterising a wound and let nature take it's course! Are you selfish too?!"

Lance was taken aback as he wiped the blood from his nose. "Do you want to put a pet name in there too?"

"Why would I put a pet name in there?"

Lance's head lifted, his breath hitching as his sobs ceased. "What?"

"Let me help," Keith mumbled. His eyes no longer glowed with love. "Do you have a first-aid compartment?"

"Near the back," Lance swallowed. 

Keith held a tissue to Lance's nose and let him take it, while he applied antiseptic to his wounded thigh. He cleaned the gash and wrapped it up securely. All the Blue Paladin could do was sit there and whimper in pain before the rest of the team came to help. He was still in shock over how quickly Keith's personality had changed. Had the venom finally left his system? Lance hoped so. He wanted to apologise without Keith's soft barrier preventing him from doing so. 

His Lion soon turned up nearby, but the rest of the team insisted that he flew with someone else. The rest was a blur. The darkness of sleep welcomed him with open arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someone help him


	8. Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith feels conflicted after the venom leaves his system.

Keith was absolutely terrified, and mainly because he didn't know what to do.

Throughout the time Lance was kept in a healing pod, Keith watched over him like a hawk. The fabricated love he felt for Lance diminished until he was left with a swelling pit of doubt and despair; he didn't want to lose that unique bond with his best friend, despite him adoring the time they spent together. He still craved touch and intimacy and part of him  _wanted_  to be put in a private situation with him again, just to experience that rush of adrenaline of doing something so naughty. He still remembered the kissing, the cuddling, and how Lance went out of his way to make him feel better, no matter what problem.

Knowing this made Keith hurt even more. Lance really did care, whether he was bitten by the bug or not, because Coran told Keith everything. How much pity he felt for Keith when he rejected his care. How he still liked Keith and wanted to remain in a close bond with him. Lance thought he'd ruined everything, and now that Keith was stood outside of his door with his fist raised to knock, he suddenly had no idea what he wanted to say. He was still scared of approaching him because they were so quiet, but he never wanted Lance to scream like that ever again, he knew the pain must have been unbearable and part of Keith wanted to experience it himself just so he could relive what Lance felt.

He paced as he tried to think about what to say. He had so many questions and he wasn't even sure if Lance wanted to answer. They'd been quiet around each other since he stepped out of the healing pod, and tolerated one another on the simplest terms, but Keith knew that both of them had the burning desire to communicate again. But after the venom was flushed from their bodies and that sickly romantic feeling had diminished, Keith didn't know how to start a conversation without feeling that same little flicker of hope in his heart.

He would have knocked to put himself out of his anxiousness, but his train of thought was interrupted by the door sliding open, and a very tired Lance looking back at him, his jacket wrapped around his waist.

"I can hear you pacing," Lance murmured. "Are you okay? Why're you here, it's so late."

"Yeah, uh," Keith lied, avoiding eye-contact. "Look, can I talk to you?"

Lance blinked tiredly. "Sure."

The silence was deafening. Keith couldn't help but feel out of place sat beside Lance on his bed, even though they shared  _everything_  in that bed. He missed it, and it hurt. He wasn't even sure if Lance liked him like that any more.

The Blue Paladin lifted his hand to scratch the back of his neck, clearly portraying his discomfort.

"How's your leg?" Keith asked. Lance shrugged.

"It's okay," Lance replied. "The scar's kind of sensitive."

"You were brave, y'know," Keith murmured. "It hurt me to watch, I could never have done that."

Lance laughed pitifully. "It hurt me a lot."

God, Keith hated small talk. His feelings were caught in a constant battle of loving and loathing and he didn't know whether he wanted to kiss Lance's stupid mouth or just apologise and walk out. The latter was probably the wiser option.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you after everything," Lance muttered. "I was never convinced that you loved me anyway, but it was a good job that it was fake, right?"

Keith balled his hands into fists, feeling his heart hammer against his chest. To be honest, he didn't know what to feel either. And he still remembered how gentle Lance treated him, how patient he was, how  _in love_  he felt. Maybe the feeling was great while it lasted, but Keith was sure he'd never get the taste of Lance off his tongue for a while.

Lance began to bounce his knee, a telltale sign of his anxiousness, and Keith hoped he wasn't making him uncomfortable with his long silence. 

"And I'm kind of glad we didn't do anything risky, right?" the Blue Paladin smiled meekly. "Will you just say something?"

"It doesn't feel right," Keith swallowed thickly. "We did all of that together and now we're pretending that it shouldn't happen again."

"Well," Lance huffed. "Should it happen again?"

Keith's face went blank.

"Do you want it to happen again?" Lance whispered, interlocking his fingers together. "We don't have to. I know it was all fabricated anyway."

Keith found his state of mind ridiculously cowardice. He knew he wanted to give in, to say  _yes_ to everything Lance was offering to him, to form a closer bond, better than the one influenced by venom that left their systems within days. At this point, he was oblivious as to whether the venom was still surging through him, or he was still experiencing feelings for the boy beside him. And quite frankly, he didn't want to admit either.

"I still like you," Lance swallowed. "And I don't know whether it's the venom or I really am in love with you."

Keith nodded. "I know what you mean."

"Huh?"

As soon as he'd realised what he'd opened Lance's mind up to, he excused himself quietly and walked towards the door. His mind was an endless stream of doubt and heartbreak. He was bound to give in a some point, but Lance's sad eyes followed him like a lovesick puppy; Keith almost ran back and gave him the type of hug the venom would force him to do.

"Keith?" Lance stressed. "Hey, Keith–!"

The Red Paladin paused at the door. "I'll be back."

Lance hugged his knees against his chest as he watched his unrequited love walk out of the door. He felt isolated.

Despite it being so late, Keith marched up to Shiro's room and rapped his knuckles against the door until the Black Paladin woke up. He needed relationship advice and it wasn't going to be particularly helpful coming from him, but Keith had nobody else to go to, except for Lance, but he was the reason why Keith was there in the first place. He kept pacing until Shiro answered his door in a weary state. There were heavy bags under his eyes.

"It's late." Shiro said, flatly. "What do you need?"

"Advice," Keith replied, and instantaneously walked into his room.

He let everything pour out of his mouth like a nervous waterfall of doubt and anxiety. How he felt towards Lance. How he still thought the venom remained and gave him a false sense of hope. Although, sitting in Shiro's room seemed to dampen those feelings, and suddenly, he felt numb. It was almost as if Lance was the source of his happiness and merely being in his presence gave him a sense of being rewarded, like Lance was  _made_ for him, like they belonged together.

He still blamed the venom.

"So, you think you've actually fallen in love with Lance?" Shiro yawned. "It's been a few days since the venom was expelled from your body, so you can't exactly blame the bug."

"Is the bug still alive?" Keith murmured, searching for excuses. "Surely–"

"Coran set the bug free as soon as you were cured."

"Oh."

"Don't try and doubt it," Shiro said. "You and Lance had a strong friendship beforehand and you'll still have one now, no matter what you tell him."

Keith sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. If he didn't get this over and done with, he was going to end up sleepless and irritable the next day, and he didn't want to leave Lance with the burden of never knowing Keith's answer. The Red Paladin was vulnerable when tired. He could afford to admit a few things before he retreated back into his room in a sulk. 

Ultimately, he knew both of them were afraid of hurting each other.

"Go and talk to him, if he's awake." Shiro whispered. "I can't think of anything else to say."

"It's alright," Keith nodded, scratching the back of his neck. "Have a good rest."

"You too."

Once he was back in the cold air of the hallway, Keith sighed heavily, almost wishing he never went on that mission to cause such a disruption. He briskly rubbed his biceps as he submissively approached Lance's room and let the door slide open, revealing the Paladin in his underwear, which Keith didn't mind. He knew it was slightly invasive, but all of the Paladins had seen each other change almost every day. None of them seemed to be fazed. 

The baby-pink scar etched into Lance's thigh made Keith wince, however.

"You're back," Lance lifted his head. "And you look like death."

Keith snorted. "And you look like a cologne model."

Lance laughed quietly in response. It was hearty, and flared something loving in Keith's heart.

"Look," Keith swallowed. Suddenly, without the venom influencing him, feelings were harder to articulate. "I think I like you too, and it's so difficult to explain because I  _know_ I do. I questioned it before we were bitten and now it just feels like you activate something rewarding in my head whenever you're around."

Lance nodded. "I feel the same way."

"I don't want to ruin our friendship, so it's alright if you want to remain that way, I know we've been sickeningly close within the past week," Keith swallowed. "But you made me feel like I was wanted and loved again, and I'd never realised how much I missed that."

Vulnerability was dangerous, and Keith knew that, but by the way Lance was holding his arms open expectantly, Keith almost tore down every single wall he held up in front of his complicated personality just for the Paladin who made him feel so alive, but rejection was something he'd dealt with for a long time. Keith was so hesitant. He wished his head wasn't such a horrible battlefield.

"It's your choice," Lance shrugged. "But you can either stay here with me for the night or go back to your own room and think about it, it's up to you."

The Red Paladin stood there in silence, his arms folded in the same protective stature he held up. His tearducts began to sting the more he stood there alone in the cold, watching Lance's soft, smiling lips waver. Stay or go. And he was still yet to admit everything.

"You don't even have to tell me everything," Lance murmured. "But I'll listen. You know that."

Keith nodded, feeling his strength get pulled away from underneath his feet. He was still as vulnerable as anyone else, and Lance was willing to be patient enough to listen.

And before he let Lance see, Keith unfolded his arms and instead wrapped them around Lance's waist, letting tears fall naturally as the Blue Paladin held him protectively, shielding him from any unknown harm.

"Are you staying?" Lance whispered, and Keith nodded silently in reply. "Do you feel the same way?"

Keith pulled away to wipe his tears with the balls of his palms, nodding as he did so. He wasn't going to speak until his voice had stopped quivering. He'd just placed his entire trust within Lance and he wasn't afraid of it. The decision was for the better. Once he swallowed the painful lump in his throat, Keith returned to the comfort of Lance's arms and thought about how everything would've been a lot different if they hadn't been bitten.

"I'm sorry," Keith whispered. "I'm just sorry I'm like this, okay? I'm not asking for your pity or your patience."

"I don't mind," Lance replied. "I'm sorry too. I knew I hurt your feelings that day. I deserved the silent treatment you gave me."

Keith smiled in the comfort of Lance's shoulder. "You sure did."

"Hey," Lance chuckled. "I was kidding!"

"I wasn't."

"You're so mean to me, Kogane."

Keith tugged Lance closer and tightened his grip. He'd forgotten how safe he felt in his arms, and how Lance would always smell like the training room and his sheets. Fabric and musk. Whatever, Keith was in love with it.

"Are you sleeping with me?"

Keith nodded.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Keith murmured. "It's better that way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for bearing with the slow updates, i'm sorry!


	9. Relax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loving one another realistically is better than having something to influence it.

Needless to say, Lance was astounded when Keith held him for the first time. Clean from the venom and still completely clueless, he watched as Keith's dark fan of eyelashes fluttered, his face soft and relaxed, contrary to the frown he always seemed to force. He looked  _normal_ , Lance dared to think, and despite thinking he kissed those baby-pink lips in the near past at some point made his heart ache. He wanted more, unashamedly, and when Keith woke up, he wasn't afraid to ask for it.

Only, the venom seemed to take control of his impulse reactions. He couldn't negotiate his feelings and actions anymore even if he wanted to. Flirting was out of the question. Lance had just woken up, and even realising he was lying next to Keith was a surprise. A smile settled onto his flushing lips and spread delicately at the thought. It was all he'd ever wanted.

Then, with the smallest frown, as if he'd wanted five minutes more, Keith opened his weary, lilac eyes and gazed up at Lance, blinked twice, and pulled the blankets up to his freckled nose. He seemed hesitant too, and Lance noticed it in his gaze. He'd noticed a lot after being with Keith. The venom's influence enabled him to understand Keith's eyes as they spoke to him in more ways than one.

Keith still couldn't comprehend how he was staring into Lance's sapphire eyes and yet Lance still tolerated him. Even after being needy and irritating him to the point of snapping, Keith couldn't understand how Lance let him sleep in his bed for the entire night, and let alone allow him to stay for the morning.

It felt like the honeymoon phase, and he thought he could call it just that. He knew the team were awake and mingling over breakfast and the day to come, but Keith was thinking about the first thing he was going to say to Lance; after all, he didn't know how to love realistically.

"Good morning," Lance whispered. Keith breathed a sigh of relief, slightly hoping that he wouldn't have to say it first. "Did you sleep better in here compared to your own bed?"

"I guess," Keith murmured. "It's warmer."

Lance kept his eyes on his for a moment longer. The silence wasn't uncomfortable unlike the ones before they were bitten. It settled over them nicely, like a blanket, while Lance was in awe over Keith's unkempt and fluffy morning hair. He couldn't believe he could witness Keith so calm. He was tame, almost like a cat, except for one that didn't rip Lance to shreds with his claws when he got angry.

"Can I rest my head on your chest?" Keith muttered, his eyes wide and curious, peeping over the sheets. Lance nodded, wondering if the silence was that long due to Keith thinking about it.

And then, everything felt closer. Warmer. Lance's heart happily hammered against his chest as Keith's head nestled upon it, his pale fingers, without gloves and riddled with tiny scratches and scars—from playing with his knife, Lance assumed—and settled into the broad warmth of his chest.

"It feels weird," Keith whispered. "It— I feel like I love you differently compared to the time I was bitten."

"I know what you mean," Lance sighed. Keith was right, it felt more  _real_ , he thought. "Is it a bad thing?"

"No." Keith looked up. "I don't think so, anyway."

Lance's dainty fingers trailed through Keith's hair, untangling all the knots from his bedhead as he closed his eyes once again, relishing the fuzzy feeling settling into his scalp. As much as he adored this time with Lance, he felt like the team needed input.

After all, Shiro  _was_ threatening to rip them apart from one another if he saw them like that again, and that really seemed to shatter Keith's heart. He never thought he could feel so opposed to Shiro's plans, but that was incredibly unfair. He had to tell them before Shiro saw—although, surely, Shiro must know that they're free of venom and all things affectionate?

Apart from their blooming relationship, but that was besides the point.

Lance, on the other hand, was craving the physical side of the relationship. Keith was right there under his nose, literally and figuratively, and he wondered what it'd feel like if he kissed him without any toxic influence. Having his lips on his hair just wasn't enough.

Lance must have looked incredibly disconcerted because Keith's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Are you uncomfortable?" he asked.

"No," Lance shook his head and laughed nervously. Keith raised a brow.

He had no idea if Keith enjoyed physical love more than emotional love. The romantic in Lance craved it like it was a drug, and the withdrawal was driving him crazy. He took a deep breath, ready for the rejection, and softly squeezed Keith's shoulder.

"Can I kiss you?" Lance swallowed, his voice both cracking and raising by an octave. Keith smirked, his eyes widening, and Lance was  _very_ sure that they weren't on the same wavelength.

"S-Sure?" Keith squeaked. "I guess?"

Lance bit his lip to try and stifle the grin he had plastering his face. He allowed Keith to prop himself up with an elbow before dipping his head hesitantly. Lance's gaze flitted everywhere, from his curious yet nervous, lilac eyes, to his sharp collarbones, to the closeness of their bodies pressed up against one another. He didn't understand how they were so affectionate before. This felt impossible. Lance felt sick with nerves and yet he was making out with the boy who was just as nervous as he was about a week ago.

Lance watched him relax. He saw the same determination in his eyes from when he was sat in his Lion, in his danger zone, where he belonged. Keith wasn't going to let Lance go first, and Lance was thinking the same for him—until they both caught each other in the same well-deserved, soft kiss, that sent sparks alight in Lance's brain, setting every single nerve on fire.

Keith's hand balled into a fist, scrunching the pillow beneath Lance's head. His heart couldn't slow down. This was a sugar rush he couldn't explain and Lance was all the candy he needed. It definitely felt different, and they both weren't planning on pulling away anytime soon.

Lance seemed to be enjoying himself too much—and he knew this by how hesitantly he pulled away when the door slid open instantaneously. Keith whipped his head around to justify but it was already too late. As Lance's puckered lips wavered, Pidge stood frozen at the door, her mouth agape, and shock running through her veins like a panicked train.

And oh fuck, how Lance wanted to kiss Keith in front of her just to see that reaction again, but Keith was the total opposite.

 _"Shiro!!"_ Pidge shrieked, racing down the hall as fast as her legs could carry her.

Keith turned to Lance. "That was your fault."

"How?" Lance frowned. "You liked it!"

"So did you!"

"That's my point!"

They shared a look for a moment, before realising where Pidge had run off to—and what the consequences were when she finally reached her destination.

"Shiro," they both breathed, eyes as wide as saucers, before dashing down the halls at the speed of light. As much as Lance didn't want to explain the night of having Keith sleeping in his bed, secrets couldn't be kept from the team at all, and he knew both of them were going to be in deep trouble the moment they stepped foot in his presence. 

And luckily, he was right there before they could find him.

"Is it true?" Shiro murmured, his arms folded. Lance was only slightly taller than him, but he still felt like a giant when he acted intimidating. "Pidge told me you were kissing."

"Uh," Keith swallowed. "W-We—"

"But we're not under the spell anymore, or whatever," Lance muttered. "You said I should act upon my feelings if I wanted to, and I did."

Shiro considered his reasoning and sighed heavily. "I know, but I can't risk having you two being irresponsible."

Keith stared at the floor. If they didn't feel drunk with venom, of course it was responsible, but he understood what Shiro meant. But Keith knew better, and that rules were made to be broken, so he could either leave Lance be except for a few exchanges here and there, or wait until the castle was quiet, and finally do everything they wanted to do. The 'risky' aspects. He just had to find an appropriate time.

"You're allowed to be together," Shiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But I don't want to hear about anything else. Understand?"

Keith and Lance nodded, both thinking of the same escape from Shiro's rules. Lance took a plate of unappetising green goo and winked at Keith from behind Shiro's back as he sat down, before he did the same, linking his pinkie finger with Lance under the table. Pidge and Hunk exchanged a look that was less than impressive, but they allowed the boys their fun nonetheless.

"Everyone's back to normal," Allura sighed happily, clasping her fingers together. "Did everyone sleep well?"

"Keith did," Pidge coughed, dropping her fork purposely. Hunk snorted. "I did, I mean. Slept soundly."

The tips of Keith's ears grew hot. He wished he wasn't so obvious when he got embarrassed.

"Perfect," Allura beamed. Somehow, she seemed more pleased than normal, if that was possible. 

At least now, the boys could work together again without feeling too affectionate or pressured to tolerate one another. 

Missions were easy. Battles were painful, but they both powered through, regarding everything as a minor scratch, no harm done. However, Keith always knew that there was a large scar running down Lance's thigh, and from then on, he silently vowed to never let him go through such pain again. The scream always replayed through his head, and when it did, he was sure to glance over to Lance to check that he was fine. He was. But just in case.

For Pidge, it was easier to tolerate. They weren't overly affectionate all the time, and still called one another by insults and battled with petty arguments, but she knew they loved each other all the same. After battle it was sickening, because reunion hugs practically oozed with love and Pidge could almost taste the disgusting sweetness drifting off them.

She was also mildly infuriated that they weren't playfully offending one another when they were in love from being bitten, but perhaps that was  _fake_ , she thought, and this was their idea of having a good time, and making sure both of them had enough attention and laughter to last throughout the day.

Hearing Keith laugh sounded so odd, but it gave everyone a warm feeling knowing he was happy for once, after feeling so numb for such a long time. Even Lance saw the difference after Keith began waking up by initiating pillow fights and then he'd be snorting while giggling, attacking Lance with all his sleepy might, until they crashed back onto the bed laughing like idiots.

"What do you think they didn't let us do?" Lance asked, squeezing Keith's hands after he removed his jacket. "It seems kind of ominous to me."

Keith smirked as he laid on the bed. "You don't know?"

"I'm not oblivious, Keith," Lance cocked a brow. "I knew what they meant."

Keith sat up as Lance approached him, his shirt sleeves still bunched around his wrists after removing it. He laid his pale hands upon his sinewy waist and pressed a kiss to Lance's navel, already feeling his warm, ocean eyes sweeping over him. It wasn't that hard to get intimate, Keith thought, but he knew he'd consider that as soon as they began. Keith then snaked his hands around Lance's waist as he nestled his face into his stomach, and gave his backside a firm squeeze.

"Never knew you were an ass guy." Lance smirked. Keith snorted.

"Never knew you were a flirty asshole," Keith grinned. 

"You knew that before."

"That's true."

Keith stretched his aching arms as Lance resumed undressing. He was covered in bruises from today's battle and although he felt tired, something stirred in his stomach unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. It didn't happen when he was under venomous influence. And yet, it felt like the teenage crush he'd always had on Lance, but burning with a raging passion inside of him, completely unable to be tamed.

And as soon as Lance turned around with a grin and pulled Keith into bed with a small kiss laid upon his lips, Keith wanted Lance to feel that passion, too. For real this time.

And luckily for Keith, Lance did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry i didn't update this sooner, i was away for christmas! i've only got the motivation to do it now :")
> 
> but thank you for reading, and i've enjoyed writing this so much! apologies if it's a little short but i didn't want to add in unnecessary chapters and make it longer than it should be. i'm considering a 'first time' smutty bonus chapter, it depends~
> 
> thank you again! <3


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